40a Station Road, New Barnet, Herts EN5 1QH
020 8440 9144
Frequently asked questions
How can counselling help?
When life becomes difficult to manage or a crisis overtakes you, talking through your problems with a counsellor can give you the support you need to find a way forward. Sometimes talking to friends or family is not enough, especially if some of your problems are about them. A counsellor is not going to judge you and is outside your life situation and can help you to come to terms with and manage difficulties in your life.
Our aim is for you to build a safe, supportive relationship with your counsellor so that you can express and explore your feelings, look at your history and help you work towards a clearer understanding of yourself. You will then feel able to make healthier, positive choices in your life.
The counselling we offer is integrative which means we don’t stick to any one counselling
model but our work is informed by psychodynamic theory and a person-
How do I contact you?
You can ring us on 020 8440 9144. If there is no-
What qualifications do the counsellors have?
Our counsellors are either fully qualified or in their final years of training on an advanced or postgraduate counselling diploma. Qualified counsellors are either accredited members of BACP or UKCP or working towards accreditation.
All counsellors receive regular supervision from a senior qualified practitioner.
Regular clinical team meetings and in-
What happens in a counselling session?
A counselling session lasts 50 minutes. You will have time to talk about why you have come for counselling and your counsellor will listen to you and also ask you some questions and help you to think about whether counselling is the right step for you. You will also be asked to fill in some information forms as well as a form which will help us identify the issues you are dealing with. After your first meeting if you decide that you want to go ahead with counselling, the counsellor will arrange to meet with you for a few more sessions and will ask you to sign a counselling agreement with us. At the end of these, if you and the counsellor feel the counselling is helping, your place at Rephael House will be available for you for up to three years.
How many counselling sessions will I need?
Your counsellor will discuss with you when and for how long you come for counselling. For some people, a few sessions may be all they need, while others may come for longer and for up to three years. All our sessions are weekly, last 50 minutes and are based at our centre, Rephael House, in New Barnet.
We also have a number of short-
How will my counselling end?
When you feel ready to end your counselling or you are approaching the third year of your therapy with us, you or your counsellor will discuss this in your sessions. Usually there will be several weeks before your ending date to draw your work together to a close and say goodbye. It is particularly important for children to have the opportunity to say goodbye to their counsellor rather than their parents withdrawing from therapy without adequate notice.
How much will I need to pay?
Prices for private counselling in the area range between £40 and £60. Every session costs us £38 to run. We ask everyone to pay this fee or pay what they can genuinely afford towards their session. As a registered charity, we do not make a profit but support ourselves partly through our client fees and partly through fundraising, grants and our ‘Friends’ scheme.
We do not wish to turn anyone away because they cannot afford to pay very much. We do have a discretionary fund but the number of places on this is limited and there may be a waiting list for a discretionary place. Most of these places are available in the day, with a few discretionary places available after 6 pm. However, the minimum fee for an evening discretionary place is £15.
Your counsellor will hold an annual payment review with you to discuss whether your personal circumstances have changed and the amount you are paying needs to be adjusted – either up or down. However we do ask you to tell us if your financial circumstances have improved or if there are difficulties.
What if I can’t get to my session?
You will need to ring Rephael House as soon as you know you are not going to be able to attend a session and we will inform your counsellor. You will still have to pay for your counselling session no matter how far in advance you cancel, as we are not able to put any other client in your space. All clients are given three weeks payment ‘holiday’ at Rephael House but only one of these weeks can be taken in the first six months of counselling and cannot be taken before the review session or retrospectively.
If you miss three counselling sessions without letting us know that you are not coming, we will assume that you no longer wish to have your counselling space held for you and it will be offered to someone else on the waiting list.
Is Rephael House ever closed?
We are always closed for at least 12 days over the Christmas holidays, one week at Easter, and bank holidays.
Is there a waiting list?
We have a short waiting list at times and for certain times of the day. There are a limited number of after school slots for children and these do get booked up quickly. Also if you have limited availability it may be more difficult to find you a space and you may wait for a while to be seen. Those with more flexibility either in the day or the evening are more likely to be placed quickly.
Can I come with my partner?
Yes. It is often more beneficial for couples who have lost a pregnancy or baby to come together as the counselling process will help you to understand how each of you is experiencing the grief you feel. It can aid better communication as grief can be very isolating and can put a strain on family relationships.
Will everything I say be kept confidential?
Your counselling is kept confidential within Rephael House and your counsellor as far as possible. Your counsellor will explain more about our confidentiality policy and answer any questions you might have on your first session. No information will be disclosed to a third party without prior permission from the individual concerned except in exceptional cases of legal obligation.
We hold limited factual information about clients on computer to assist in our administration and statutory obligations. This does not compromise the confidentiality of any individual. All records whether in paper or electronic form are kept in secure cabinets and stored at the centre.
My child is having counselling at Rephael House. Can I come too?
If your child is attending counselling at the centre, you will have the opportunity to meet with their counsellor on several occasions during the therapy. We do not usually offer joint sessions with your child although this is sometimes available if the clinical team think that this would be helpful. However, any parent of a child who is attending Rephael House is able to have counselling for themselves, either individually or as a couple, and this is often very helpful for your child’s progress.
What is play therapy and why is it used with children?
For children younger than 12 we feel that play therapy is a more beneficial and natural way of working than face to face talking therapy. Play is a child’s natural form of communication and we find that as a child plays in a session, the issues that are causing distress emerge and can then be worked with. The therapist might direct the play to help the child manage or explore some troubling feeling or event or let the child direct the play themselves if that seems more appropriate. The child is then able to deal with painful issues, feel better about themselves and develop in a more healthy way. As always, the therapist aims to build a safe and supportive relationship with the child. This often leads to better achievement of the child’s potential educationally and relationally.
Can I park at the centre?
Only in special circumstances: for example, we have a disabled parking space. There is usually parking available on the roads around Rephael House and on the road outside after 7 pm.
What facilities do you have at Rephael House?
We have a small waiting area and a kitchen where you can make yourself a drink for a small charge. We have three counselling rooms, one of which is a play therapy room, and two toilets, one of which is adapted for wheelchair use.
Do you have wheelchair access?
Yes, wheelchairs are able to access some of the therapy rooms at Rephael House. Our toilet area has an adapted toilet for those with wheelchairs. It is preferable to let us know in advance that you will need to use a specific room at the centre so that we can make suitable arrangements.
What if I don’t like my counsellor?
Sometimes a client doesn’t feel comfortable with a particular counsellor and this is always discussed in the joint review session in the early weeks of counselling. It is always possible to change counsellor but if you feel you would like to change after working with a counsellor for some time we hope you will be able to discuss this with them first. The counselling coordinator is responsible for placing you with another counsellor and you can contact her on the Rephael House number.
How will I know the counselling is working?
At Rephael House we ask you to fill in two different forms during the first few weeks
of your counselling which ask you questions about your feelings, sense of well-
What is the drop-
On Monday afternoons between 2pm and 5pm you can call in to the centre without booking
an appointment and see a counsellor as a ‘one off’ for a nominal fee of £5. A session
at drop-
We do not run the drop-
What if I want to complain?
If you are not happy with the service you receive at Rephael House, we hope you will be able to talk to your counsellor or the coordinator about it. If you are not satisfied with this, we do have a complaints procedure and you can ask for a copy of this from the counselling coordinator or the centre manager.
Counselling here has helped me and I would like to support your work. How can I do this?
We are always very grateful when clients choose to show their appreciation of the service they have received. Please refer to our Support us page for information on the different ways you can support the charity.
The most important thing you can do to support our work is to tell others who might need our service about Rephael House.